GREENSBORO, N.C. – Berry College defeated Washington and Lee University, 3-2, Monday to win the first Division III Match Play Invitational title at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center.
The contest closed the two-day, eight-team tournament hosted by Guilford College on Grandover’s par-72, 6,690-yard West Course. Seven of the eight teams are ranked among the top-30 teams in Division III according to the latest Golftstat.com Relative Rankings.
The Vikings’ Joel Maire trailed by one for most of his round with the Generals’ Robert Quinilty, but won the 17th hole to even the score. Both players recorded a four on the 18th hole to halve the point and clinch Berry’s win. The Vikings are ranked 14th by Golfstat and were seeded fourth in the field.
Berry’s Ryan Elmore took a convincing 7 and 6 win over Washington and Lee’s Brian Peccie, but the second-seeded Generals’ Conley Hurst evened the score with a 4 and 3 triumph over Berry’s Eddy Black. Cole Ackerman’s 2 and 1 win over Washington and Lee’s Luke Farley proved critical as the 14th-ranked Generals’ Austin Harrill made a birdie-three on the 18th hole, which squared his match with Press Clark, who scored a four on the final hole.
Rhodes College, the tournament’s top seed and eighth-rated team by Golfstat.com, claimed the third-place match over sixth-seeded Hampden-Sydney College, 3-2. Joey Mayo, Corrie Kuehn and Chris Harris each clinched their matches in less than 18 holes to secure the Lynx victory.
Fifth-seeded Christopher Newport, ranked #25 by Golfstat, won the fifth-place match over tournament host Guilford, the third seed. David Rabil made a late run to defeat the Quakers’ Kell Graham 2 and 1 to clinch the Captains’ win. Joey Corlett won 7 and 6, and teammate Tyler Bennett rallied for a 2 and 1 triumph over Guilford’s Terence Schmutz in Schmutz’s college debut. Zach Evens and Josh Hill accounted for the Quakers’ points and finished the weekend with three wins apiece.
Seventh-seeded Centre College won the seventh-place match over number-eight seed Otterbein College, 3.5-1.5. Andrew McKinney, Dakota Jarman and Carson Riley each had big wins for the Colonels.
Coach Justin Tereshko’s Quakers return to action this weekend at the Emory Spring Invitational in Stone Mountain, Georgia.